Outboard motor guards



June 1964 R. E. LOOKER 3,135,233

OUTBOARD MOTOR GUARDS Filed May 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 REGINALD 1'7. .5 OOKER Q INVENTOR.

) V m g-J ATTORNEY June 2, 1964 R. E. LOCKER 3,135,233

OUTBOARD MOTOR cums Filed May 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 REGINALD ELOOKZ'ZR INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,135,233 OUTBOARD MOTOR GUARDS Reginald E. Looker, Hillhouse, Lakernont, Rabun County, Ga. Filed May 12, 1961, Ser. No. 109,590 4 Claims. (Cl. 115-17) vices have not proved particularly successful, for a number of reasons, including lack of resiliency, the absence of comprehensive coverage, and for other reasons.

An object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor guard for protecting the steering, gear shift ing and speed controls as well as other vital parts thereof.

Another object is to provide simplicity in such a device.

Another object is to provide easy mounting and even removal of a guard of the instant type.

A still further object is to provide economy of manufacture of such a safety instrumentality.

Another object is to make possible positive operation thereof.

Another object is to provide symmetry and beauty in an outboard engine guard.

Another object is to provide or make possible facile adjustment thereof.

These and other objects made apparent during the further progress of the instant specification are accomplished by means of the present invention, a full and complete understanding of which is facilitated by reference to the drawings herein, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the guard member per se;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged View, fragmentary in part, showing how the basic guard element is mounted to suction cups by means of intermediate springs and associated hardware;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the guard in place on an outboard motor associated with a boat; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the structure of FIG. 3.

Turning now to the drawings, 10 represents a guard element, preferably formed of hollow plastic pipe having substantial strength, yet. good resiliency. This member is joined or united at its two ends 11 and 12 as by a hollow sleeve 13 into which said ends are fitted and adjusted so as to form exactly the desired oval structure necessary to accommodate (in conjunction with intermediate spring and suction cup structure) the dimensions of a given size or model of outboard motor. This fitting is accomplished by a pair of clamps 14 and 15 which are fitted with adjusting screws 16 and 17, a loosening of which permits the insertion of the ends of guard 10, and after proper spacing or adjustment in sleeve 13, tightening fastens the guard in permanent or semi-permanent position about the outer circumference of the engine. Further securing is aiforded through the suction cups as will be made clear hereafter. Spacedly mounted around the inner peripheral edge of 10 are a plurality of spring spreader elements 18, the wire ends 19 of said springs being tightly wound or twisted to encircle the guard as at 20; and the opposite ends of the springs being fixedly mounted to suction cups 21 as by means of metal clips 22 through which are passed cup screws 23 for the purpose of rigidly engaging cups 21.

In operation, the guard is first adjusted for circumference as described heretofore, and then the suction cups are afiixed to the outer casing of the outboard motor 24 in a conventional manner, it having been found even that no glycerine or similar substance is required for this operation. Removal may be affected by means of a screw driver being inserted beneath the rim or edge of the cup. The motor is shown conventionally mounted to a boat 25.

When thus mounted it is apparent that the instant safety device effectively guards and protects the vital control elements of the motor, which are suggested by the numeral 26 in the drawings. That a blow against the outer edge of the guard is first resisted by the inherent resiliency thereof, and then picked up by the springs and suction cups in such a manner as protect the motor in its vital parts against all but the most violent blows. That this action results in the suction cups being even more firmly attached at each impact, which attachment is effective in the first instance through the firm oval attachment of the guard around the motor casing.

The stem cup in association with its connecting spring 27 represents a somewhat shorter connection than do the others, in the average case, although this is not necessarily so. It will also be noted that guard 10 may be fabricated from any suitable material, that spring spreader elements may represent any suitable cushioning devices, as for example, flat springs or rubber blocks in appropriate installations, and that suction cups 21 are likewise subject to the law of mechanical equivalents.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there has been shown and described herein a new and useful outboard motor guard that is simple in construction, easy to operate and adjust, and thoroughly adapted for and to its intended purposes. While said device has been described in some detail herein, no limitation is implied or intended thereby, but on the contrary, the appended claims are to be given an interpretation and scope fairly in keeping with the contribution to the art.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a generally circularresilient guard member having open ends, means for adjustably uniting said ends, a plurality of spring spreader elements mounted around the inner peripheral edges of said guard member, and suction cups secured to said springs for positioning the guard around its exterior of an outboard motor.

2. In a device of the character described, a generally circular resilient guard member having open ends, means for adjustably uniting said ends in fixed relationship, a plurality of spring spreader elements mounted around the inner peripheral edge of said guard member, and suction cups securely mounted to said springs for positioning the guard horizontally around the exterior of an outboard motor in spaced relationship thereto.

Patented June 2., 1964 mounted around the inner edge of said guard, and means adjacent to and connecting with said spacing elements for the purpose of removably securin the exterior of an outboard motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Crawford Feb. 25, Lorene Dec. 18, Stillman June 20, Rodgers Aug. 21, Henderson Feb. 14, Skimas Aug. 19, Kiekhaefer May 19,

g the guard structure to 

1. IN A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A GENERALLY CIRCULAR RESILIENT GUARD MEMBER HAVING OPEN ENDS, MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY UNITING SAID ENDS, A PLURALITY OF SPRING SPREADER ELEMENTS MOUNTED AROUND THE INNER PERIPHERAL EDGES OF SAID GUARD MEMBER, AND SUCTION CUPS SECURED TO SAID SPRINGS FOR POSITIONING THE GUARD AROUND ITS EXTERIOR OF AN OUTBOARD MOTOR. 